Caribou Housing Agency awarded nearly $50,000 HUD grant

WASHINGTON — The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded the Caribou Housing Agency a $48,729 grant to support its Housing Choice Voucher Family Self Sufficiency Program.

The program is intended to help low-income families who receive federal housing assistance to obtain training and education, find jobs, save money and eventually become financially independent, including becoming homeowners.

The Caribou Housing Agency had applied for the grant last year but did not get funded. City officials asked U.S. Sen. Susan Collins for assistance to determine why their grant request was not approved. She contacted HUD and urged the agency to review the request, which resulted in the grant being awarded.

Steve Wentworth, director of Housing and Code Enforcement for the City of Caribou, explained that “HUD soon corrected a computer technical error that resulted in our grant not initially being awarded. We are extremely grateful to Senator Collins for her hard work, and appreciative that these important federal dollars will once again come to Caribou.”

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In a press release announcing the award on Wednesday, Collins said, “This program is critical to the families in Caribou and around the country who are struggling to find work and pay their bills.”